a. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to electronic circuit design tools and specifically to tools capable of checking physical layout parameters against simulated performance results.
b. Description of the Background
Complex electronic circuits, such as those found in today's very large scale integrated (VLSI) chips, require many steps to bring a design into production. Several designers may create circuits to perform various functions, and different people may layout the circuits into metal traces and devices to implement the circuits.
Various tools are used by different disciplines during the development of a complex circuit. Several different circuit simulators are used by the circuit designers to hone and optimize the circuits. Some simulators may be used for analog circuits while others may be suited for digital circuits. Typically, a simulator may create a net list, which defines the circuit and which may include various operating parameters for the circuit, such as current and voltage of a signal on each node or connection throughout the circuit.
A layout designer may take the net list produced by the simulator and create a physical embodiment of the circuit. This may include placing devices in a semiconductor substrate and connecting those devices using various traces within an integrated circuit. When the layout designer has finished the physical layout, a tool may be used to compare the actual physical layout to the net list, making sure that all connections are consistent with the circuit design.
When the circuit has been completed, some simulators exist that can simulate the performance of the entire circuit en mass and when the entire layout is complete. Such simulators may not be optimized for specific circuits. Additionally, such simulators are often extremely complex and require extraordinary amounts of processor power to operate, even when simulating using mere approximations.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a system and method whereby a complex circuit may be designed and developed using accurate simulations and that did not require a complex and time-consuming simulation after the layout is complete.